Evening Star Newspaper, November 11, 1893, Page 14

14 “THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. © AN INTERESTED CROWD. JENNIE AND GEORGE. The Ponderous New Boarders at the Zoo. INSTALLING THE RHINOCEROS. The Hippopotamus and His Enor- mous Yawn. THE INFANT DROMEDARY. Mile. Jennie, an accomplished song and dance artiste, has arrived at the Zoo. She is fresh from other metropolitan engage- ments, and is booked for’a considerable stay in Washington. She is sure to please. Her style is unique and vigorous, and she has invented several very graceful and fetching touches that are sure to draw crowded houses thro«y'sut the winter. Mile. Jennie is young in the business, but up to all the tricks that go to insure popu- larity. She saw the first gleams of the sun through the bars of a cage about two years ago, when her mother was gladdening the hearts of the inhabitants of an inland city as a part of the Forepaugh show. The young lady was snugly established at the Zoo on Tuesday. Besides being clever with her voice and feet Mile. Jennie is a humorist. There ar2 those who, unacquainted with the methods of rl wit, might mistake her jokes &nd quips fof wails of woe, but hers is a subtle sort of humor that steals gently over one and leaves a most lasting impression. For instance, her song might seem to the casual observer to be a cry; it is high in its pitch, and has a mournful touch that goes to the heart of the hearer. But, in- terpreted by those who know the young woman, it sparkles with joy and fun. Her style of dancing is peculiar. A man-j might improve her appearance, but | Would spoil the individuality of her ‘clog. Her favorite movement is a sort of all-four up-and-down waltz that is as rhythmic as a! baby rhinoceros can make it. The society beau—accustomed to the long, languid slide that pervades the modern bail room—might | to sneer at Mile. Jennie’s meth- od, and it may be that she would suffer from a lack of partners at a soiree dan- sante. However, she is happy in her own way. Peculiar Mile. Jennie went into her new quarters on Tuesday with very good grace. She has been growing for the past two years with a vigor that has gladdened the hearts of the hay men and bothered her trainers. So for some time past she has been unable to do any waltz steps in her cage wagon, that is embellished with an accurate por- | trait of herself on the outside. In fact, sae had not turned around for some weeks un- til she went into the beautiful room that awaited her at the Zdo. Her transfer from the wagon to the parlor reserved for her in the southwest corner of the carnivorium ‘was accomplished without harm to her or to the eighteen brawny negroes who as- sisted in the process. As she has never been weighed it cannot be stated how much rhinoceros each of these porters car- ried,but that they carried encugh can easily be assumed. The transfer took place in a huge box built of inch planking bound with fron that had to be specially prepared. In each end was a sliding door. The box was vbout eight feet long by five square, and itself Weighed several hundred pounds. It was bunted snugly up to the end of the rhi- noceros wagon, and the ‘loor of the latter ‘was cautiously opened. The slide was drawn and the two openings were made to fit each other perfectly. This interesting operation was in charge of Mr. Blackburn, the superintenJent of the Shifting the Rh Zoo, and Mr. George Arstingstall, the head animal man of the Forepaugh show, who came over from Philadelphia with the cara- van Tuesday morning. Mr. McCaddon, the eral manager of the circus, was on to oversee the entire operation cf putting the menagerie into iis wiater quer- ters. Besides there were two expert keepers from the show, and a gang of unskilled labor that did not know how much risk it | Fan and was glad to get within range of surly = and ugly teeth, just for pure love of fun. Jennie did not take any interest in the yawning mouth of the transfer box for some time. Owing to the limits of her cage she gould not turn around zasily, so when her attention was directed to ihe gap by means of a broom and several sharp prods, she merely glanced sideways out of her tiny eyes and snorted. Mr. Arstingstall stood | Patiently at the rear door of the pox and called, “Jennie, come Jennie," ‘n a coax- ing, soothing tone. He iso tore off great ‘wads from a loaf of bread and threw them | into her reach. Gradually the enormous | creature backed to get the bread. Hier pig eves lost their angry glare and she was happy. When her hind feet came over the Partition and rested on the transfer box trestles on which it rested creaked and | negroes holding it straised every ruscle. | Slowly, slowly the moaster packed. Bit | after bit of bread she reacned and devoured. | At last all four of her feet, with <heir great | spreading toes, went clattering on the floor | of the box, and finally her retrousie nose, with {ts two incipient aorns, slid from view into the temporary home. ‘ang! went both alides,, and Mile. Jennie was snugly boxed. | Then the eighteen big negroes tugged and strained and wiggled the box, with its ponderous contents, around the curner of the entrance. Fortunately the distance to the cage was short, for it is number one in the list, and in a minute or two the poor infant pachyderm had arrived at her des- tination. The box was shoved up aguinst the cage, two of the bars of which had been lifted to make an entrance, and the front slide was drawn. Mile. Jennie blinked at the sudden light, switched her mimature tail, and cried. Before her was a vast space fully ten by fifteen feet. It was like an un- explored continent, and she hesitated before entering it. But suddenly a piece vf bread dropped into view from ubove and she w hungry. Im the Cage at Last. In a moment she had dashed over the space between the doors and was inside the cage. The bars were dropped quickly and Mile. Jennie trod the boards of Wash- ington for her positively first appearance. There was little hay in the cage when she was inserted, so the floor was bare and her long toe nails made a great clatter. She turned slowly about, surveyed the vast place with astonishment, and then re- alized that-she had room for evolutions. Tossing her head in the air she began to sing and then to waits. Drawing all her feet under her she jumped around, making @ terrific noise that nearly gave the little marmoset monkey in the opposite row a fit. The mackaws stop} pluming their feathers and made a incoherent but very audible remarks. The green parrots talked a blue streak and the green monkeys started to yell. Diana, the trapeze per. former, banged the bar against the side of her cage with a sudden explosion, and French, the young lion, started to roar. George Likes Bread. It was a very merry orchestra for a few minutes. And to this tune the young rhinoceros was dancing a measure that threatened the foundations. Some one suggested that she was fright- ened, but Mr. Meyers, her keeper, said that what the crowd thought was woe was pure and unadulterated joy. She was so delighted to get into a big room that she had forgotten her dignity, he added. By all means go out on Sunday and pay Mile. Jennie a visit. She will appreciate it highly. King George in His Tank. This was the most @ifficult of all the transfers on Tuesday. The process was started by backing the hippopotamus wagon up to the outside of the building, against the outer door of the tank cage that had been prepared, and then waiting for King George to transfer himself. George is not endcwed with the lines of a ballet dancer. He is about eight years vid and still growmmg. A scale has never been found that will stand the strain of weighing him, so his “heft” is still an un- known quantity. It is several, however. When George sits down on anything it usually squashes very palpably. George had not swung on his own axis for over a fortnight, when, on Tuesday, his door was opened and he was invited to walk into a brand new parlor. It is related that there was once a period of a year that George did rot turn around. It is not because he has any disinclination to turning, but that he and his wagon did not fit. Like Mile. Jennie, George was lured into the tank cage by means of bits of bread. Several loaves were used for this purpose. The only thing to be done was to simply wait for George to move. Of course he might have been noosed, as the lions were later, but there was not power enough within sight to budge him after he had been looped. The Tiger Stretches Himself. George is a very bibuious creature. It is probable that if he were a householder in this city he would be arrested for wasting the Potomac water. The only stipulation that he makes about the water that is fur- nished him {s that it should be voluminous. When the tank was filled the other day he went down the three steps most cautiously. Finally he slipped and sprawled with a thud that made the building vibrate. He plunged his head’ under the stream of water that was filling the tank and gloried in its refreshing coolness. When the level was high enough he went clear under and arose blinking his little eyes. There was a quiet movement of the nostrils, and the sound of a great rush of water. A double column of Spray shot into the air, and the spectators were treated to an involuntary shower bath. A Capacious Yawn. There is one thing about George that must be admired. That is his mouth. It is such an enthusiastic mouth, and it unfolds ‘so completely! It is a.well-known slang ex- pression to describe a smile as a “face opening.” It was never more true than in the case of this gentle representative of the hog family. He does indeed open his face when he smiles, or yawns. It keeps on un- folding and developing, until he has pro- duced an aperture fully two feet. It would accommodate a good-sized setter dog. It must be a great satisfaction for George to yawn. If there is anything in the belief that gaping is catching, the audiences at the Zoo will soon contract the chronic habit of this pleasurable jaw Gistention. There is enough infection in George's yawn to fur- nish the entire city of Washington with gapes for a year. One of the most remarkable features of this pretty creature is his dental furniture. Besides a number of big solid square molars that grind hay and bread, there are four great tusks that fit into each other in the front of the mouth. They are cruel looking things, and could easily pierce a man’s body through and through. A few years ago George suffered terribly from an ulcerated tooth—one of his molars. It made him very irritable, and affected his eyes so that there was danger of his going blind. His trainer decided to pull the offending tooth. It was not an inviting prospect, but it was accomplished without much trouble. The man provided himself with a pair of blacksmiths’ tongs, and had one of the keepers lure George to open his mouth by means of an apple. The unsuspecting hippo unfolded his jaws and waited patiently for the morsel. Then the man with the tongs | got a good grip on the molar and held on. George was to do the rest. He did it with a vengeance. When he felt the cold iron on his jaw he shut down hard and backed. There is something decided about George’s backing, and on this occa- sion it was a bit more definite than ever. For a moment the keeper was dragged across the floor of the cage; then the tooth gave way, and George kept on backing, while the keeper, the tongs, and the tooth, rollled over and over on the ground. The molar was about four inches long, and had » SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1893—TWENTY PAGES. —— an upper surface of nearly three inches square. It weighed several pounds. Greeted by Old Residents. One of the most amusing incidents of the transfer the other day was the be- havior of the parrots and mackaws. The latter, being nearer the door, had a clear view of all the operations at the entrance and watched the proceedings with great interest. As each time the transfer box was brought into the building containing a lion or a tiger or a hyena, the gorgeous birds would stop pluming themselves and would erect their combs and greet the new comer with a dignified “Hello!” This solemn welcome was tendered to every animal that was dragged past their cage. The negroes that were carrying the boxes were startled at first by these sepul- chral tones emitting from the atmosphere, but when they were explained the men took @ great deal of interest in the remarks of the mackaws. The smaller green parrots in the large compartment at the east end of the line. of bird cages saw only the lat- ter half of the operation of transferring, and made some very comical observations about the queer things they witnessed. ‘Oh, my!” called one of them when the big tiger was put into the cage right op- posite them. “Oh, my! The other par- rots looked around and there arose a chorus of cries of indignation. J ad‘ | “| Wasa Transferring the Lions. There is one parrot that rejoices in the name of “Emma.” The others are very fond of her, and she seems a great favor- ite. So, as soon as quiet was restored in the building, after each transfer, one of the beaus on the top perch would gently croak, “Emma!” Then the others would repeat his , until Emma was forced to speak. “What?” she would say. “What?” But the tantalizing parrots only called her name again. The pelican resides just across the street from the hippopotamus, and there has al- ready been established a friendly feeling between these two tropical creatures. The pelican started out at once on Tuesday to smooth down her ruffled feathers, and be- gan to captivate George. His highness wa: busy with the new tank, however, and paid no attention to her for some hours. After she had plucked out two or three loose feathers and shaken out a lot of pink dust from her plumage, the big fellow across the way noticed her by giving her a@ polite yawn and a wink. There is a very interesting flirtation on just now and Miss Pelican seems in a fair way to win her way into the great heart of the mammoth beau on the other side. An Obstructive Hump. The baby dromedary is a gentle little fellow and makes friends very easily. He has a curious habit of trying to run under- neath his parents in his endeavor to reach something he sees on the other side. There was a time, not many weeks ago, when he could accomplish this, but there has de> veloped such a pronounced hump in his back since then that he finds himself balk- ed every time he tries it. He seems puzzled at the obstruction. His father is not very good-natured and resents this liberty on the part of his offspring. The mother, how- ever, is long-suffering id patient and the youngster simply butts her and then tries again. It usually results in the old lady steprang to one side while the baby goes ahead. The dromedary has two humps and the camel one. The former is also much more handsome, for there is a sort of reversed mane on the under side of the neck that makes a beautiful fringe to the long throat. Those at the Zoo are the handsomest speci- mens ever seen in Washington. The camels are good looking, but not so well adorned as their neighbors. There is every evi- dence of cordiality between the families, however, and the two old men chat across the high wire fencing while the women folk gossip through the meshes farther along. The juvenile department of the menag- erie also contains an infant in the family of the sacred cattle. These creatures are dwarfs anyhow, and so their young calf is a tiny little fellow. He is very playful, being about three months old, and frisks about as lively as his limited quarters will permit. These animals wiil be kept at the Zoo all the winter and perhaps longer. It is barely possible that they may remain dur- ing the summer. At all events they ara snugly quartered for several months and will be on exhibition free of charge for every day while the sun shine: Dr. Baker, the manager of the park, has shown great ingenuity In providing places for the animals without extra expense by utilizing materials on hand. The long house that holds the camels, the sacred cattle and the small creatures from Africa was orig- inally meant for a tool shed, but with a little whitewash and: wire netting it has been transformed into a really handsome stall room. —_>—__. BIG STATION IN BOSTON. The Boston d M: e’s New Bullding Will Accommodate 552 Trains D: ily. “We are going to beat London and the rest of the world when we get this station \ finished,” said Contractor Edwards of the Boston and Maine Union Station at Boston. “The largest railroad station in the worid is in London,” he continued, “but it only accommodates 500 trains a day,while we will have 552 running in and out here. We calculate to have one side of the station ready for the running of trains in a few weeks if the Iron work can be done as quickly as we mean to do it.” Should the work be advanced as rapidly in the next four weeks as it has been in the last four there seems to be little reason to doubt the correctness of Mr. Edwards’ es- timate. Three immense spans of the new train house, which is now the principal cause of delay, have been put in place and the foundations for a fourth are being laid. When that has been completed and the glass roof placed in position the first trains will be run in on the north side of the sta- tion, near the new baggage and express building. This latter has now been finished and is now locked up awaiting the comple- tion of the train house, with the exception of the conductors’ rooms, which are being occupied by their new occupants. The train house will be upward of 500 feet long, the roof supported by great steel trusses, while the roof itself, being com- posed of glass, will leave nothing to be de- sired in the way of lighting. Each span will cover two tracks, the platforms between which will be of hard wood, thus adding to the comfort and convenience of passen- gers. When the whole structure has been erected there will be nine of these enormous spans covering the spaces into which the trains will run. Between the train house and the main waiting room is a space of about fifty feet wide, with great skylights in the roof, which will make the entire inclosure one of the best lighted of its kind in the world. The greater part of the work on the main waiting room has likewise been accom- plished, and the building is rapidly nearing completion. The marble flooring has been practically laid. The iron columns, twelve in number, which support the roof, have been covered with cement, giving the ap- pearance, as well as the solidity, of gran- ite pillars, and the interior decorations have likewise reached an advanced stage. ‘The smaller rooms on either side are now in the hands of the workmen, and before the train house has been finished the in- terior of the waiting room will be ready for use, ———_+e+_____ One Good Turn Deserves Another. From the Clothier and Furnisher. ee i Fg Dandruff is an exudation from the pores of the scalp that spreads and dries, forming scurf and causing the Bair to fall out. Hall's Hair Renewer oures . fi BLOCK AND DYNAMO. Bunning Trains by Electric Signal- ing Over Long Distances. LESSONS TAUGHT BY THE GREAT FAIR, Passengers and Freight Moved in Obedience to Inflexible Methods. ee ees OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS. ————— two months in the east and west those t occuring in this sec- tion could not have been prevented by the block system, T IS A STARTLING fact that of the many wrecks that have oc- curred during the past é the Alleghenies would not have taken place had that system been in use out there. The on Long Island occurred a road that is supposed to work a block system, but an investiga- tion of the accident demonstrated that al- most every impediment possible was thrown. in the way of its successful use. The ter- ribly fatal wrecks that occurred in the west would one and all have been averted had the dependence not been placed in the effi- ciency of running trains by telegraphic orders and holding them apart the regula- tion period of ten minutes. After the great exposition has become a “‘has been” and the different companies count up their gains and losses those that figure in the former class will no doubt expend a good round sum in improving the safeguards of a suc- cessful train service, and those in the latter class can contemplate the folly of putting off too long improvements that would have landed them on the safe side of the ledger. Carelessn of Employes. A majority of the so-called accidents on the western roads have not been caused by the failure of rolling stock, bridges, or roadbed to stand the strain put upon them, but to the terrible carelessness of employes in places of great responsibility. ‘The coll!- sion in Michigan, in which some twenty persons were killed and their bodies burned to unrecognizable masses, was caused by the reckless disobedience of plain orders on the part of officers in charge of one of the trains. The block system would have pre- vented this. Apparently these officers readily took the risk of continuing beyond the point where they had been directed to stop, knowing that at any time they might meet another train on the same track. It will be remembered that they were able to escape by jumping off just before the colli- sion that sent twenty-six passengers into eternity. The collision in Illinois, a few hours earlier between a limited express and a train of coal cars, could not have taken place if those in charge of the freight train had exercised ordinary care and observed the fundamental rules of the service. These are the latest additions to an appalling list of blunders and instances of reckless diso- bedience which have caused great loss of life since the beginning of last summer, and the latest collision, followed by a fire that left only the charred bodies of many vic- eaters cannot be identified, is the worst of all. It is true that In the last months of the great exposition many railroad lines were overtaxed by the sudden and exceptional growth of the passenger traffic, which has found them poorly equipped, both as to the safeguards which- were needed and the employes required for the work. It is prob- able, also, that on some roads employes that were trustworthy under old conditions had become unreliable and even reckless under the strain of overwork. But while the people generally may be interested in the discussion of the underlying causes of such a series of dreadful events, they are more deeply interested in suggestions as to the action which can be taken to prevent such carelessness and disregard for the safety of passengers as have been shown this year. Heavy Penalties Necessary. A question to be considered is the pen- alties which a company may suffer. Are they heavy enough? The loss of property in a collision is not an important loss for @ great corporation. The conviction of a conductor or an engineer or a train-dis- patcher on a charge of manslaughter can exercise very little restraining influence upon the company that employs them. But if it were possible to collect through the courts large sums in damages for the lives that are lost the companies would be much more careful both in the supervision of their employes and in the establishment of block signals and other safeguards. For the twenty-six lives sacrificed in Michigan the relatives of the victims can recover trom the company at most $130,000, or $5,900 for each life. If this limit, which is imposed by the laws in most of the states,were removed, such terrible slaughter as this would be so expensive to a company that the cstablisn- ment of approved safeguacds would not be neglected, and every possible effort to in- sure the efficiency of train officers and the preservation of passenyers’ ives would be made. Under present conditions a ratlroad company suffers a much smaller loss in money when a passenger is killed than when one is crippled. This fs illustrated in a story told of the late Gen, Butler. In a collision in Massa- chusetts some years since a prominent man was killed and his son had both limbs sev- ered above the knees. $5,000 was all the law allowed for the death, but there is no limit in the matter of damages allowed a cripple. Gen. Butler had the boy’s case in charge and sued the company for $15,000. The latter wanted to compromise on $10,000. This made the general indignant and he told the com- pany if they didn’t settle for the full amount he would raise the claim to $50,000 and, what ‘was more, he would collect it. Knowing the general's ability the counsel for the company agreed upon a conference to be held in the former's office. Gen. Butler had the boy brought to his office, who had recov- ered from a terrible experience of having both Mmbs severed about six inches below the thighs. Placing the boy on a table in the office in front of the visiting counsel, the general said in an impressive voice: “You killed that boy’s father, his mother has been dead some years, and that is the condition you have left him in to face the world. What do you think a jury would al- low me in damages were I to place the case Plainly before them?” The $15,000 was paid the next day. Speaking to an Evening Star reporter about the lessons taught through the im. mense traffic of the world’s fair and pro: pective improvements as a result thereof, an official of one of the local roads, one day during the past week, said: Valuable Lessons Learned. “All the eastern roads have made money this year, and those of the western section that have not come out ahead will about split even. Every observing railroad man nas learned valuable lessons, especially in the last months of the fair. One of the eastern roads was driven into adopting the block signal last winter through an acci- dent to two of its trains, for which it is now thankful, for without that system the road would undoubtedly have been choked up during the month of October. The acci- dents east and west have taught us that no system is perfect in the moving of trains, and our desire now is to do the best we can. The west will at an early day put in use the block system, or a modified form of it, and the eastern roads will try and improve upon the same. “Within a short time my road from New York to Pittsburg will be equipped with the uutomatic electro-pneumatic signal system. When this system is introduced a number of signal towers will be done away with, and the services of the men who are only employed to work the signals will be no longer needed. For several years we have been experimenting with this automatic system of signaling between several of our smaller stations, and from time to time such improvements and changes were made, until now the officers of the road are of the opinion that the system is as perfect as can be devised. This system of automatic signaling is considered far superior to the wreck big on block system, as it does not require the agency of man to give the notices to stop or that the track is clear. It cannot be vverworked, and there is no danger of the signals not being worked, as is the case with the human operator. In case the signals of this new system do not work communication will be had at once with the power house, and the matter can be quickiy | remedied. ° “The automatic electro-pneumatic system, to give it its right name, is worked by the passing of a train over a certain portion of the track. This portion is connected with the signals by electricity, and as the loco- motive passes over it a current is made | and the signal arms go up and remain up in that position until the train has passed out of the block. This system not only covers one. block, but the signals tell whether a train is in the adjoining block or the next one. If both signals are open then two blocks are clear. This alone gives notice to the engineer of how the tracks are within two blocks. As the only ex- pense attached is the electricity and the cost of the apparatus for signaling, the blocks can be made considerably shorter and signals placed at more frequent inter- vals. The cost of placing this new system all over our line will be comparatively cheap, and if it demonstrates its effect- iveness, as we believe it will, it will, no eo be adopted by a majority of the is of the country. Improvements Made Yearly. “I have been connected with railroads for | many years, and when I think of the im- provements made yearly it seems to me that the running of trains must soon arrive at a perfect system. The day was when locomo- tive engineers drove their great machines through the night without the glimmer of a signal light at a switch or station. It takes @ man of iron nerve to be a competent en- gineer, but in the old days his daring knew no limit. His machine was then crude in its mechanism, the roadbed was usually wretched, and precaution against the loss of life was so uncertain as to be of little serv- ice. The misplaced switch was usually found at night only when the forward trucks of the engine left the rails. There was a wildcat system of moving trains on many of the roads, and the only warning the public had at crossings in town and country was found upon a ghastly-looking cross-shaped board. A train would suddenly swing around a curve; Uncle Rube, half asleep upon the leather cushion of his one- horse chaise, and ignorant of his danger, would be caught amidships, and then for yards around the neighbors would hunt next day for such things as tippets and galluses and other relics of the tragedy. The old white signboard could utter no alarm. If it could, Uncle Rube might have been picking pippins in his orchard that fall. “The grimy engineer with his old wood- burning locomotive had, as I have sald, few signals of alarms to guide him in his runs ‘over the rails. There were no electric or pneumatic contrivances for locking or un- locking the switches. In their place there was to be found a stumpy fellow in a red shirt who carried the keys to the switches with an air of supreme importance. Some- times he would go to sleep after the cattle train had passed, leaving the switch open for anything that might follow. There were no illuminated disks to warn the engineer of the night passenger train just behind that the switchtender had prepared the way for disaster. The old-fashioned locomotive would bound along until it struck the switch. There would be a crash, a flash of fire, and two or three days later the country would get the meager details of the wreck. Twenty years ago it would have been im- possible to have made a pretense at hand- ling the business of today. With the old system of signaling an attempt to handle the present business of the roads would have been followed by a succession of disasters which would have strewn the country with wreckage. The progress made in the meth- od of operating railroads has been wonder- ful. Electricity is the strange agent that is now gradually taking from the hands of an army of men the labor of operating switch- es, of flashing signals and guarding cross- ings by means of bells and gongs. Automatic Signals. “Meritorious as the block system 1s, it Proves that man is fallible. It was the purpose of doing away with manual labor and thereby reducing the risks of death to the minimum that a shrewd Connecticut man as early as 1886 turned his attention to the practical application of electric au- tomatic signals. All the earlier automatic signals depended for communication be- tween the block stations upon a wire strung upon poles, and as a train might break apart and leave a portion of its cars obstructing the track when it had ap- parently cleared the block system, and as by a violation of the rules the engineer of a second train might enter a section before the first had cleared it, the track circuit was proposed and was brought to an unexpected degree of practicability. In this system the electric current is ¢con- ducted by the rails of the track and any metallic connection between the right-hand and the left-hand rail may be made to so alter the strength of an electro-magnet as to change a signal from safety to danger. The signal stands at safety so long as the current is uninterrupted, but when a pair of wheels enters the section and affords the requisite metallic connection the greater part of the current is withdrawn from the electro-magnet holding the signal in the safety position, and it moves by the power of clock work or compressed air to the danger position. This system proved cost- ly to maintain, and difficulty was experi- enced in adjusting its mechanism so that the signal should never indicate safety where danger actually existed. The wire system was then taken up again and brought to its present perfection. The new signal is not strictly a color signal, al- though a red disc is used to indicate danger and ‘all clear’ is fndicated by white. The case is circular in form and painted dark. “The principle on which this signal is constructed and operated is that the first wheel entering the block section sets the signal at danger and at the same time breaks an electric circuit in such a way that under no possible contingency can the signal again show safety until the train passes out of the block section and oper- ates the track instrument which restores the circuit. The disc assumes the danger position by gravity whenever the power exerted by the electric current is with- drawn. In other words, the safety position of the signal is dependent upon an unin- terrupted circuit through the magnet of the signal instrument. It is simply and only the attractive power of electro-mag- netism which holds the signal at safety. “An engineer wholly color blind can make no mistake in reading the signal, even if his engine be plunging through the darkness at furious speed. When the sig- nal stands at danger the center is red and the surrounding surface dark; but a color- blind person even then, it is claimed, would experience no difficulty in correctly reading the indication, as he would be compelled to note the absence of white in the center, and only after clearly seeing white would he have a right to proceed. “The arrangement for day and night sig- rals is perfect. For the day signal reliance is placed on the aperture and disc. Night signaling is accomplished by a subsidiary perture just above that used during the Behind it is placed an ordinary sig- nal lantern, and a red glass disc carried by an extension of the same arm that car- ries the danger signal by day provides the mears for showing the danger signal at night. Interlocking Switches, “Another thing the great exposition has proved to our road is the undeniable useful- ness of the interlocking switches. We were about the first road to adopt the system and naturally feel a pride in its substantial suc- cess. This switch system stands rather apart from the block signaling idea pure and simple, inasmuch as it is intended pri- marily to handle safely end expeditiously an enormous mass of railroad traffic by fa- cilitating the control of the switches. The main signal tower is within plain view of the station and controls not only the yard signals but every switch. Every move- ment of the lever which throws a switch in the yard also throws the same switch in the model that rises before the eyes of the operator, so that a glance would tell the story if by any chance a mistake was made in the operation of the System. Besides the switch and signal system there are sub- sidiary indicators to show the condition of the tracks in the station and at various points in the yard. The whole switch sys- tem can be controlled by one man, but it takes a peculiarly cool and level-headed operator to do the work satisfactorily. The other operators in the tower keep track of incoming trains and the condition of things at the station. The electrical plant for operating these systems is obtained from storage batteries in the basement of the towers. These are charged by a dynamo. “The whcilesale killing of people at rail- road crossings has suggested still another method of signaling and again electricity was called upon to check the slaughter. This system of guarding crossings is the best in existence far superior to human watchfulness, but of course it is not per- fect. The people in South Washington know this. The only perfect safeguard will be the doing away with the crosings through the adoption of an elevated or depressed roadbed. Out in the councry the efficiency of electric safeguards for railroad cross- ings has been substantially verified. So complete has this system been perfe>ted that the bells at the crossings begin ring- ing when the approaching trains are 2,300 | tect away. The wheel of the locomotive | sounds the alarm at this xreat distance jand keeps it ringing until the iast Car of | the train has passed the crossing. “Trains approaching from opposite dicec- tions do rot interfere with the effectiveness | of the signal. The alarms trom the tracks | are indenendent of each other, so that at least cne bell is ringing until’ not a ‘rain | | is within 2,000 feet of the crossing. “Besides the pneumatic and electrical systems of signaling, explosives are used in protecting the lives of passengers. ‘The old cap shaped torpedoes are still in use ds, but the improvements in eness of these istuments cf and the facility with which they may be used, ever when the train is run- ning a: good speed, has been «uite as sat- isfactory as that noted in other branches of the service. Rockets have also been adopted =s a method of signaling. These are carried on passenger trains and ure used to flash warnings or distress, as the case demands. Fuses which when lighted burn with a fierce, red flame have also been adopted for use on the rails when danger is imminent to the train using them.” ————+0e- CHICAGO AFTER THE FAIR. No Violent Renction in Business and Trades Expected. It is not at all probable, says the Chicago Herald, that there will be a serious collapse | of business in Chicago after the close of the | fair. There will be a relaxation from the high nervous activities of the year. The| | fair was the culmination of three extraor-| |dinarily busy years in the building trades | and in general commerce, both wholesale |and retail. Over $20,000,000 was expended | during that period for the purchase of ma- | terials and for construction within the fair | grounds. It has been estimated that half @s much more money was expended in erect- | ing and equipping buildings in the world’s |fair district for hotels, places of amuse- ment, restaurants and other purposes. This immense expenditure made Chicago a vast hive of industry in every pursuit | which earnest human endeavor follows. The | distribution of so much money stimulated | every enterprise. It was felt in the great marts and exchanges and in the smallest industries. The wholesalers and retailers in the larger and in the minor stores, the banks, the hotels, the theaters, the restau- rants, saw active times. The boarding house industry prospefed beyond all prece- |dent. The saloons, the barber shops, the fruit stands, the bootblack stands—all reaped a harvest. The millions of strangers who have come to Chicago during the sum- mer and autumn to see the fair have swelled the tide of money circulation and contrib- uted to the immense prosperity of Chicago as it approaches the end of the Columbian anniversary. As a consequence the money panic was felt but little here. It might be supposed that a reaction would inevitably follow this period of commercial and industrial excitement. Usually a reac- tion in the forces of nature or in any move- ment is approximately equal to the previous superficial activity. The extent of the de- pression is nearly as great as the extent of the exaltation which it follows. But there will be no such violent reaction in the bus- iness and trades of Chicago. Some effects will be produced, but they will not be seri- ous or lasting. ‘The impetus which commerce and industry | have received at this great commercial and industrial center will prevent a sudden shock of stoppage. The momentum will lessen gradually, but a sudden change from the rush and push of affairs to complete or partial stagnation will not occur. The hurly- burly will be less. The streets will be less crowded. Sales at the stores will decrease somewhat. There will not be quietude; but something lke the orderly hurry and well- regulated rush of previous years—greater by several degrees—will succeed the indescrib- able whirlwind and tempest of activity which the months of the fair have witnessed. But Chicago will be Chicago still, in all the elements of its commercial and municipal greatness and prosperity. For a time building operations will be less in extent and cost. The industries interest- ed in the construction of business and res- idence buildings will experience a period of comparative dullness. The domestic em- ployments will diminish in number and ex- tent, and wages will be reduced. All the lines of business which prosper from the patronage of strangers will have an interval of depression. Rents in some parts of the city will be lowered. The boarding houses and hotels will lose some custom. The theaters and other places of amusement will not be visited by such throngs. But all this will hardly amount to a check on the Prosperity and growth of Chicago. The gen- eral revival of business throughout the country will be felt here the same as else- where. The fruits of the great work of the — will remain, and will not depreciate in ue, —_-9e—____ “THE SPANISH SOLDIER NUN.” Remarkable Career of a Woman Who Disguised Herself as a Man. A famous heroine in her day was Cata- iina de Erauso, still remembered vaguely as “the Spanish soldier nun.” She left me- moirs, which have been translated or sum- marized or “rom.ancified” in most European tongues, says the London Standard. Cata- lina, we are told, ran away from a nunnery in San Sebastian at the age of fifteen, transformed her conventional habiliments into doublet and hose, and found employ- ment as a page in the household of a noble at Valladolid. Driven from this refuge by the appearance of her father—who had no suspicion, nevertheless—she joined an expe- dition sailing to Peru under charge of Fer- dinand de Cordova. Her ship was wrecked off Paita, and she alone reitused to desert the captain, who stood by his vessel, Cataina then built a little ratt, broke open the treasury chest, took as much gold as she could carry, and then set off for tne shore, but the captaia was drowned em- barking. She reached the town and ac- cepted an engagement as manager to the tailor who made her new clothes. Compli- cations of business and passion—for a great lady fell in love at first sight—led to a first duel, in which she killed her man prompty. The great lady smuggled her out of prison, but Catalina found it necessary to repay this service by pushing the dame down stairs, probably breaking her neck. Then she jumped into a boat, put to sea and was Picked up by a Spanish vessel bound for Conception. At this place her brother was secretary to the governor, and he, all unconscious of the relationship, got her a commission in the army. Very soon afterward she dis- tinguished herself in an engagement, and for twelve years ranked as one of the most brilliant officers of the Spanish service, liv- ing mostiy with her brother, but keeping the secret. This happy time came to an end tw a midnight duel, when she killed a man unknown, who proved to be this same brother. Flying for life once more, Cata- lina crossed the Andes. All her companions perished, but she reached Tucuman after terrible adventures, Another love affair, all on one side, and another fatal duel brought her literally to the gailows, but with the rope around her neck she escaped. Traveling on to Cuzco, she joined an alcade with a pretty wife and a gentlem: his friend. In a very few days Catalina perceived that these two had an understanding. The alcalde perceived it also, and took an opportunity to murder his faithless friend. He would have murdered his wife, but Catalina snatched her to the saddle and rode furiously for Cuzco. The alcalde pursuing, she ran him through. but received a desperate wound. The fugiti®es got safely to the bishon’s palace. Catalina | knew, however, that her secret must be | discovered now. She had inst streneth enough to reveal it to the bishop hefore fainting. The worthy man reported the whole story to the king, who sent orders that Catacina should he disnatched by the |Next ship. All Snain declared for the her- joime, At her arrival Count Olivares him- | self. the nrime minister, met her: the king kissed her. the nope sent for and forcave | her, and Velasquez nainted her portrait. —— in Envy. Parke Rowe—“What 4’ ye think of the suit? Election bet, you know!” Hoffman Howes—“That's too bea! How long do you have to wear it?” SHOES You may have bought shoes pretty cheap in your life time, but you never bought them as cheap as ‘we are sclling them now at the Star Shoe House Receivers’ Sale. Many skeptical ones who have Just dropped in to see “if it really was so” have departed with a pair of Shoes under each arm and have sent their wives back to get a few pair for the children. Ladies whe can wear “A” last in sizes 2%, 3 or 3% cam buy their Fine Hand-sewed Sunday Shoes for Which they usually pay $6 at $1.50 2 pair. Men pay us $1.50 and $2 and tuck @ pair of $5 or $0 Russet Bluchers under their arms and go away with the consciousness of having saved a clear $4 on their Winter Shoes. Children's Ox- ford Ties, 40c. pair and up. $2 and $2.50 Ladies Black Oxfords, T5e. Boys’ Russet Oxfords, T5e. ‘These bargains are too good to last. Your size may be here today and gone tomorrow. Don't wait. Star Shoe House Receivers’ Sale, 726 7th St. ih E i E é i i) | é 5 fi i z i i z , i fl i I | it HL iV i il I ' P. MERTZ, 11TH AND F STS., WASHINGTOX, D. ee27-3m,e0d fi | When You Get Married? it iit | GROGAN’S MAMMOTH CREDIT MOUSE, $9, 821, 823 TTH ST. X.W., BET. H AND I STs. mol WE CLOSE EVERY EVENING aT 7. “Glad News” To The RUPTURED. All who are afflicted Rupture or ae that ap tut for e PERMANENT ‘cure has been » is city. othe ‘core is effected by the method ad fected by that eminent specialist, Dr. Me- ‘Candliss, in causing a growth over the het ring, 1) closing It completely and forever. It is no new experiment. Hundreds have been permanently cured. Consultations and full explanations gratis. Write fo book and list of cured. Dr. T. K. GALLAWAY, Charge. WASHINGTON HERNIA PARLORS, 80 AND 32, Office hours, né-s,tu,th,3m DR. HEPBURN > Is THE ONLY PHYSICIAN IN THE CITY Dermatology exclusively. Eczema, Tet- ter, Ache, en Blackhead,” Preckieny ted ness of the Nove and Cheeks, tales,